


Rise

by HawthornShadow



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Potentially Emotional Rollercoaster, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 09:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15946856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawthornShadow/pseuds/HawthornShadow
Summary: Falling isn't fun when you know your wings won't catch you.





	Rise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Poisonedapples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poisonedapples/gifts).



Everyone always described falling as exhilarating or exciting.

  
Only in private did people speak of the terror, the fear of only the harsh unyielding ground rising up to break your fall.

  
Roman did not feel excited.

Agony tore through his back as his wings flapped uselessly in the screaming wind, or was it him screaming? It was hard to tell. Whipping around he caught sight of Logan diving as swiftly as he could in a faint hope of catching the prince, but they both knew he’d never make it. All too soon Logan had to open his wings or else risk joining Roman in his messy fate.

Roman spotted the specks that must be Virgil and Patton high above, still caught in the battle that had stolen his life, whether he survived this or not.

He closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

It was too close. Every heartbeat brought another terror, every wingbeat another foe. It seemed unlikely they would ever make it through this alive. They were outnumbered, success didn’t seem possible.

Still, Logan looked to his companions and attempted to hope for their sake. They had experience, something their adversary did not. The element of teamwork also favoured their side. Perhaps they really could win the fight.

And then, against all his predictions, the enemy became clever. With their focus split, it was inevitable that they would become split up. Virgil and Patton had been herded away, despite Virgil’s insistence on fly-by attacks and Patton’s steadfastness, leaving Logan backing up Roman’s elaborate strikes with cold, calculated hits that widened the cracked defences further.

He hadn’t accounted for the stealth of one of their opponents, nor their underhandedness as with a deafening crack Roman turned pale.

Logan swore he had never heard a more horrifying sound than that of Roman screaming as the air fell out from beneath his wings. It had been a clean break from the sound of it, but that didn’t stop Roman from falling.

Roman was falling.

Without a second thought Logan was streaking after him, two blurs passing through the clouds, one catching on the other but not fast enough. Logan reached for Roman, knowing that it would achieve little but he had to try. He couldn’t afford to give up.

But as the ground became visible below them he knew. He knew, and it broke his heart, no matter how much he liked to pretend it didn’t exist. His fingers brushed the edges of Roman’s wings, but he had to pull up.

Looking down at Roman’s broken body his hands clenched. He had hoped, and all he had to show for it were a few brown feathers.

 

* * *

 

 

The sky was a mess and Patton would not be moved.

At least outside of keeping his wings beating but he couldn’t help that! Other than that, nothing would move him. He wouldn’t let anything harm his boys.

He liked to think he was the eye of the storm, or maybe a whirlwind inside another whirlwind, one that stayed in the centre no matter what but was still chaotic in its own right.

Virgil swooped in for another attack and Patton took a moment to be proud. Virgil had taken his fear of getting in the middle of a fight and “run” with it, creating his own methods of staying out of it but still helping the ones he cared about. Dare Patton say it, maybe even the ones he loved.

Patton grinned despite what was going on. He was happy, fighting with his family. And then he looked down.

There was a brief moment of shock as he registered the scene below. Logan near the ground with swarms beginning to descend on him, and below that, a mess of red, white and brown. Such a small body.

The sensation of numbness lasted a fraction of a second and then Patton was angry. With a grief-stricken howl of rage, he flung himself to Logan’s defence.

 

* * *

 

 

He still wasn’t sure how to respond.

There wasn’t a moment to take stock of things, to actually realise that one of his worst fears had come true in the most terrible way.

Virgil had to carry on. Patton was already divebombing toward the masses aimed at Logan and Virgil couldn’t afford to leave them alone. He raced to meet Logan’s back, letting Patton work his way through the crowd before making sure they were all back to back. Logan took a moment to place what looked like feathers inside his pocket and then the fight was back on.

Virgil hated fighting in close quarters like this, surrounded on all sides. The moment he thought Patton and Logan might have it covered he prepared to take off and return to his previous style of attack but a short “don’t” from Logan stopped him. Looking down, he could see why. Already one of their enemies looked prepared to slide between them and going by previous events… Virgil suppressed a shiver. He couldn’t lose another friend.

They had no choice but to keep on fighting.

 

* * *

 

 

Roman’s back felt like it was on fire. Forget that, his entire self felt like it was going up in flames, his ashes burned away just to be renewed and the process started all over again.

With great pain he opened his eyelids, greeted by a swirling cloud of black. Struggling, he blinked and cleared his vision as much as he could, and the masses of dark wings swam into view. Focusing and trying to use it as a distraction from the agony, he made out a few specks of blue and purple and brown, near consumed by the darkness.

No.

They had to be his friends. But why was Patton dipping with every strike? Why was Logan flailing in the air? Why was Virgil so, so still?

No.

He had to help them. He didn’t know what was going on but he couldn’t let them go out like this. They were so far away, out of his reach, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to give up.

The burning suddenly roared and Roman could almost see the flames as they encroached on his vision, sparks of red, gold and white filling the air. There was a great crunching sound and Roman closed his eyes on instinct as his whole body spasmed for but a second before collapsing limp again.

No.

He wouldn’t give in. He had to fight this. He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes once more. The nerve-wracking pain subsided almost entirely, but it was odd. The fire remained, and Roman had the thought that if someone could see him now they’d see it pouring from his eyes.

Getting to one knee, he flapped his wings once, their metallic sheen catching in the sunlight, and soared.

They dared to attack his family?

He would burn them.

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by an angsty AU by https://poisonedapples.tumblr.com/  
> I took the start of their idea and aimed it in a different direction.
> 
> I apologise, as of yet this is completely unedited. Purely midnight inspired ramblings. Might come back at some point to clean it up.


End file.
